Snow Sports

Snow Sports

In Scotland we have five ski and snow boarding resorts so having a VB Adventure snow trip has never been easier. With the new hook up facilities on site at Glenshee you can be the first up the hill to find fresh tracks and beat the queues! The other three resorts also have campsites nearby and if you're in The Van then why not check out more than one during your stay.

For the past two years skiing conditions have been excellent in Scotland.

There are five ski centres in Scotland. See more info below:-

Glenshee

This is most extensive ski resort in Scotland & Hook up for camper vans camper vans on resort

Glenshee is located in the eastern Highlands, near to Braemar and Royal Deeside, the closest ski area to four of Scotland’s six cities –Aberdeen as well as to Dundee, Edinburgh and Perth.

This is the most extensive of Scotland's five ski centers, spread over four mountains and stretching across three valleys with 40km of runs served by more than 20 lifts. There is a ski school and you facilities to hire equipment. Extensive car parks next to the main A93 road make it one of the easiest Scottish ski areas to reach, although at busy periods when conditions are good an early start is important to ensure you secure a space.

Glencoe

Spectacular scenery, closest ski area to Scotland’s largest city & Hook up for camper vans on resort.

Glencoe is one of Scotland’s smaller areas, and is the country’s oldest, Located in an area of spectacular scenery on the west coast of Scotland, it is a little over an hour’s drive north past Loch Lomond from Glasgow and is the closest ski area to Scotland’s largest city.

The slopes are reached by an access chair-lift which lifts you 350 vertical metres to a plateau area which is home to the nursery slopes, served by a Poma lift and considered amongst the best in Scotland. Further drags and the Cliffhanger chair take you successively higher to the top of the runs at 1100m above sea level, 800m above the base. From here the centre’s most famous run, Flypaper, reputed to be the steepest piste run in Scotland having a drop off of 500m..

There are several cafes at the area located at the base of the slopes and on the mountain. Glencoe is remote from major settlements, the nearest, Fort William is 25 miles north.

After you finish for the day there is a campsite at the foot of the hill which houses micro lodges, camper vans Otherwise there are hotels, B& B’s and self-catered apartments in the surrounding area.

Cairngorm

The Cairngorm ski area is located 10miles and/or 15 minutes drive from Aviemore. You will pass through some mountain scenery, forest and past crystal clear lochs and is one of Scotland’s most famous and popular ski destinations.

In recent years Aviemore itself has grown into a vibrant all-round resort.. The construction of the funicular to the top of the ski slopes in 2001 and its inclusion in the Cairngorm National Park proved to be a major boost to what remains Scotland’s best-known ski resort. There’s a large car park at the base of the ski slopes, where the funicular railway station building is located as well as the day lodge with bar, ticket office and other facilities.

The mountain is the 6th highest in Britain and mainly faces north, providing a good climate for snowy conditions. It is also assisted by five snow canons for better coverage at the start and end of the season.

There are also a host of local guides to take you around the excellent backcountry or you can book lessons for Nordic skiing or attend one of the local ski schools to improve your technique.

Most people opt to take the funicular to the top of the slopes. This is normally a fast and efficient means of uplift and it can queue-gobble quickly. It is also possible to ski down and take a succession of drag-lifts uphill instead – usually quicker on busy days.

Beginners have one of the most snowsure areas in Scotland located to the left as you leave the funicular building – a gently sloping plateau served by a drag, which is often crowded with beginners learning their stuff.

Most years you will find a terrain park and a half pipe. At the bottom of the hill you will find a cross country course that winds through Glenmore forrest.

You can stay at the foot of the mountain at the campsite or stay in nearby Aviemore. Aviemore is a lively town at night that provides frequent buses to and from the mountain. Another benefit of staying in Aviemore can catch the train there. You are only 40 mins drive from Inverness and the airport.

Families are extremely well catered for, with the Spey Valley area around Aviemore full of family-friendly activities indoors and out. Animal lovers should visit the Highland Wildlife Park about six miles south of Aviemore,. Teens can enjoy the biking, white water and other adventure activities available.

Along with Speyside whiskies, the local Cairngorm Brewery has gone from strength to strength since established in the late 1990s. Initially grabbing attention with the name of its Sheepshaggers Gold, its ales are award winning because they taste good.

Lecht

The Lecht is the smallest of the five Scottish ski areas with its runs located on either side of a high valley road. There are some 20 runs, all less than a kilometre long and most easy or intermediate standard. These are served by a dozen parallel drag-lifts and an elderly second-hand chair.

The centre is popular with families, having the lowest prices of the five centres and a large modern one-stop base facility built at a cost of £1 million. There’s also a terrain park and various snow play facilities, as well as easy slope-side parking. As with all Scottish centres, the service is helpful and friendly and the atmosphere relaxed.

The Lecht has a particularly strong reputation for first-timers, with easy access to all facilities and lower lift ticket prices.

The centre is about a 75-minute drive from Inverness or Aberdeen and a shorter easy day-trip from Cairngorm or Glenshee.

Nevis Range

Scotland’s newest ski area,.

Located next to Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis (Aonach more itself is the eighth highest at 1221m), and the town of Fort William, the ski slopes are accessed by a modern Doppelmayr gondola from a large base car park, which is also home to a cafe and ski shop.

The gondola lifts you to the base of the ski slopes where more lifts, including the UK’s only quad-chair, access the ski area proper, and there’s also the Snowgoose restaurant here. From the top of the gondola you can also begin to take in the remarkable views out over the west coast of Scotland, which only get better as you move up higher.

From the top of the gondola the well-designed ski area offers an easily accessible beginner’s area to the left. They include an artificial surface slope, normally under the snow, which allows lessons to take place even when snow cover is poor. Just above, the Alpha button-lift provides more difficult terrain.

Most skiers turn right out of the gondola’s top station rather than left and head for the quad-chair which accesses wide and easy cruising slopes on the main mountain face. This becomes progressively steeper, and with longer descents, if you continue on to the Goose T Bar which serves classic reds like Sidewinder.

For more proficient skiers and boarders, some of Scotland’s best off-piste terrain can be found on itinerary runs in the Back Corries, served by the rustic Braveheart chair when open. Following the increasingly common model in the Alps, this off-piste bowl is open when conditions allow, with access from the Lemming Ridge usually the steepest and most often corniced if you are looking for an additional challenge (a kind of mini Corbet’s Couloir affect). This can usually be avoided by entering from the Switch run where there’s no vertical drop-off down to the top of the slope. Even here, the initial pitch of the slope is 45-50 degrees for the first 100m or so before easing to around a 35 degree angle. Unsurprisingly it’s most enjoyable with fresh powder, less so without.

There is a wide range of accommodation at Fort William, ranging from simple hotels through to the luxurious Inverlochy Castle Hotel next to Nevis Range, where the celebrity guests have included Sean Connery, Elton John and Mel Gibson.

There’s no real apres-ski at Nevis Range and most visitors are based in Fort William, which is a year-round holiday resort with a wide selection of accommodation options and a moderate choice of bars and restaurants – as well as the standard shopping options of a small British town. The Nevisport café in the centre of Fort William is where many climbers, skiers and hill walkers start out and finish up each day.